The Irish name Herity was originally written in a Gaelic form as Mag Oireachtaigh, which is derived from the word "oireachtach," referring to a member of an assembly. Translating the name into English produces no less than seventeen different synonyms. But the origin of the name is most intriguing. In the 12th century, the name was simply O Roduibh but a Oireachtach O Roduibh at that time caused the name to be shortened to Oireachtach, their present form.

Herity Early Origins

The surname Herity was first found in counties Roscommon and Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they were one of the Hi Maine Septs in Kelly's country. They were direct descendants of the O'Connors, Kings of Connacht, and the Chief of the Clann was one of the four royal chiefs under the O'Connor. The tree on the Coat of Arms illustrates their descendancy from the O'Connors.

Herity Spelling Variations

Herity Spelling Variations

Those scribes in Ireland during the Middle Ages recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in this era many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Herity family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Gerrity, Gerty, Gerighty, Gerighaty, Gerety, Gerahty, Garraty, Geraty, Jerety, McGerity, MacGeraghty, MacGartie, MacGarty and many more.

Herity Early History

Herity Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Herity research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1585, 1744 and 1598 are included under the topic Early Herity History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Herity Early Notables (pre 1700)

Herity Early Notables (pre 1700)

Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Herity Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Herity or a variant listed above: Robert Gerity who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1858; Patrick Gerrity, also Peter and Phillip, all arrived in the 1860's; Sally McGarty arrived in New York State in 1847.

The Herity Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Herity Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.